The present invention relates to a knitting machine for making knitwear.
Knitting machines of the type under discussion include needles and loop-sinking/knockover sinkers which are interchangeably positioned in a knitting tool carrier and are adjusted by control cams so that the movable and pivotally supported sinkers are moved with their knockover edges longitudinally during the pull-off or retraction movement of respective needles at least partially in the opposite direction whereby the control cam of motion of the knockover edge for each sinker and the control cam of movement for the needle head of the respective needle cross each other in the region of needle withdrawal or retraction movement.
Knitting machines of the foregoing type have been disclosed, for example in DE-OS Nos. 31 08 041 and 33 11 361. By the movement of the needles and sinkers in the opposite directions in the region of loop sinking the sinkers are maintained flat and thereby the knitting machine is operated faster without danger of breaking of needles and thread. At high knitting speeds the problem occurs when latch needles are utilized in the knitting machine. This increases the danger of latch breaking because the swinging motion at high speeds causes considerable striking forces during the opening and closing of the tongue of the needle, which forces can cause the displacement of the tongue support. Also, abrasive effect of the processed yarn and of dust on the tongue support is enhanced.